A person sacrifices himself to become a saint in a chaotic world of martial arts.

In the following days, life seemed to return to its previous track.

Su Bai went to the yamen to report for duty every day as usual.

With Sun Hou's occasional witty remarks and Old Wang's leisurely recounting of old stories, the days were not difficult to endure, and were even quite peaceful.

After finishing his business trip, Su Bai went straight home and stayed inside.

He devoted all his free time to cultivation.

The operation of "Tiger and Leopard Strength" became increasingly proficient, with qi and blood flowing and surging under the skin, bringing a realistic sense of increased strength.

He also began to practice the newly acquired "Midnight Bone-Penetrating Needle" hidden weapon technique diligently.

Perhaps it was because his control over his muscles and bones greatly improved after breaking through to the Skin Refining Realm, that he mastered this hidden weapon skill, which emphasizes technique and skillful force, extremely quickly.

In just a few days, he had mastered the basic techniques of generating force and throwing. He could easily insert a few ordinary sewing needles into a wooden board that was an inch thick.

However, to reach the "minor success" level, according to the manual, one needs to use a specially made "bone-penetrating needle" and practice it for a long time with a unique method to make it as easy to use as an extension of one's own arm, greatly increasing its penetrating power.

The primary material for making that special "bone-penetrating needle" is five ounces of refined iron.

Five taels of refined iron are worth five taels of silver in the market.

Su Bai sat cross-legged at home, looking at the ancient-style "Midnight-Noon Bone-Penetrating Needle" manual under the oil lamp, his brows furrowed, his heart filled with hesitation.

He touched the limited amount of money in his pocket, carefully calculating how to use each coin.

Five taels of silver was no small sum for him at the moment.

He was very poor and really couldn't bear to part with it.

However, the power of the Meridian Penetrating Needle at the "Minor Completion" level is incomparable to that at the beginner level. It is described as having considerable destructive power, enough to become a hidden trump card for him.

Should we continue practicing with ordinary steel needles and wait for sufficient financial resources, or grit our teeth and invest to quickly develop combat capabilities?

The pros and cons weighed repeatedly in my mind, making it difficult to make a decision.

Just as Su Bai was lost in thought—

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Suddenly, a series of rapid and violent banging sounds, like the beating of drums, shattered the tranquility of the courtyard outside his already flimsy wooden door.

Immediately afterwards, a gruff, threatening voice began shouting and cursing from outside the door:

"Su Bai! You brat from the Su family! Get out here right now!"

"I told you to be obedient and filial, but you've been playing dead with me, haven't you? It's been days! Where's the money?!"

"Don't think you can get away with hiding at home like a coward! If you offend the Fierce Tiger Gang, you'll regret it in Fenjiang County!"

"You'd better open the door now! Otherwise, we won't be so polite!"

Amid the shouting and cursing, there were muffled thuds of someone kicking the door, as well as several other voices echoing the clamor, clearly indicating that there was more than one person present.

Su Bai's expression suddenly changed, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

The other side has actually dared to openly come to our door!

He quickly got up, the wooden chair scraping against the ground with a short, sharp "sizzling" sound.

He took a few steps to the door and flung it open.

As the sunlight streamed in, it illuminated the four or five figures blocking the entrance. They were all dressed in short-sleeved clothing and had arrogant expressions; they were members of the Fierce Tiger Gang.

The one leading the group was none other than the hooligan leader nicknamed "Old Six" whom I had met during the last patrol of the Wenchang Palace.

"The Fierce Tiger Gang has some nerve, daring to come to my house to demand money?" Su Bai's voice was very low, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.

His tall figure blocked the doorway, his gaze sweeping over the group of people like a cold bolt of lightning.

The ringleader, Lao Liu, flinched at the gaze, his eyes darting around for a moment, but then, as if remembering his backing, he straightened his neck and puffed out his thin chest:

"Hmph! Su Bai, we...we didn't do anything. We just heard you did something good and came to congratulate you, what's wrong with that?"

He deliberately raised his voice, using the slick tone typical of street ruffians, "Could it be that you, Su the constable, are planning to bully us law-abiding commoners?"

"Behave yourself? Ordinary people?" Su Bai's aura suddenly turned cold, as if a chill was spreading out.

His eyes were filled with undisguised anger and contempt as he stared at Lao Liu. "You scoundrels, you dare call yourselves commoners? Get lost!"

The final low shout was like a thunderclap.

He held up three fingers: "I'll count to three, and you'll disappear from my sight immediately! One!"

The leader of the hooligans, Lao Liu, felt a sudden panic when he was locked in by Lao Liu's oppressive gaze, and goosebumps rose on his back.

That feeling was even more terrifying than facing the gang's most violent leader.

His throat was dry, and he forced himself to utter a harsh remark, but his voice trembled involuntarily: "Hmph... know your place... you should... you should obediently... pay up..."

"Two!" Su Bai didn't even wait for him to finish speaking before counting to the second time, and at the same time took a small half step forward.

Finally, the sixth brother couldn't withstand the overwhelming pressure. His face turned pale, and he swallowed the rest of his words. He turned around and ran away, his steps faltering.

Seeing this, the hooligans following behind him dared not linger. Like startled rabbits, they scattered in a panic and disappeared from the alley in the blink of an eye.

……

They ran for two blocks before turning into a secluded corner, where the thugs finally stopped, panting and leaning against the wall.

"Sixth Brother... what happened?" A henchman wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still shaken.

"That guy... he's just a temporary constable, I heard he's only been practicing martial arts for a month or so? But that look in his eyes just now... why was it so scary? My legs are cramping, I felt like I was being... being watched by the hall master."

"Pah!" Old Six spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the ground, as if trying to spit out his earlier embarrassment.

He caught his breath, filled with shame and anger, his eyes flashing with malice. "What good are those fierce looks! Does some nobody really think he can look down on the Fierce Tiger Gang just because he's wearing the skin of a constable?"

He gritted his teeth, lowered his voice, and said viciously, "Since he won't listen to reason, let's find some night, sneak over and 'pay him a visit,' and give him a good beating!"

"This...Sixth Brother," another follower said timidly, looking hesitant.

"Didn't the young master instruct us to wait for the right opportunity and not to act rashly? He'll definitely be home tonight. If we rush in... and make a scene, it might be difficult to handle..."

"What are you afraid of!" the sixth brother interrupted impatiently, a cold glint in his triangular eyes.

"He's all alone, his parents are long gone. We'll cover our faces, rush in, and beat him up quickly, leaving him bedridden for ten days or half a month. Then we'll run away. Who will know it was us? We're not really trying to kill him."

He glanced at his henchmen, his tone laced with threat and seduction: "What, chickening out already? You should know that if we handle this well, the young master will be well rewarded. What can a good-for-nothing brat do to us?"